Device for monitoring golf practice swings

ABSTRACT

A device for monitoring golf swings during practice with a golf club utilizes knock-down pegs pivotally mounted in a practice pad in mutually spaced relationship along a strip of artificial turf. Each peg has a preferably integral foot formed as a transverse pivot pin and rotatably received by a journal recess formed in the underside of the practice pad, the normally upright portion of the peg extending upwardly through the practice pad to be knocked down if and when hit during a practice swing. The practice pad is molded from a flexible resilient material to provide integral detents bordering the recesses. These yield to permit insertion of the pegs from the underside of the pad and serve to retain the pegs in operative position once inserted.

United States Patent [191 Landures DEVICE FOR MONITORING GOLF PRACTICESWINGS [75] Inventor: John Landures, Salt Lake City, Utah [73] Assignee:Dynasty Oil and Minerals Corporation, Salt Lake City, Utah [22] Filed:Dec. 3, 1971 [2]] Appl. No.: 204,596

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1963 Livingstone273/186R 10/1968 Carboni 273/186 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS GreatBritain 273/186 R [111 3,741,,5 June 26, 1973 Primary Examiner-George J.Marlo Attorney-Philip A. Mallinckr'odt 57] ABSTRACT A device formonitoring golf swings during practice with a golf club utilizesknock-down pegs pivotally mounted in a practice pad in mutually spacedrelationship along a strip of artificial turf. Each peg has a preferablyintegral foot formed as a transverse pivot pin and rotatably received bya journal recess formed in the underside of the practice pad, thenormally upright portion of the peg extending upwardly through thepractice pad to be knocked down if and when hit during a practice swing.The practice pad is molded from a flexible resilient material to provideintegral detents bordering the recesses. These yield to permit insertionof the pegs from the underside of the pad and serve to retain the pegsin operative position once inserted.

6 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENIEDJUNZS mm 3.141. 550

sum 1 nr 2 lOc "Mil Huh lOc lNVl-IN'IOR. JOHN LANDURES ATTORNEYSPATENTEUJUN 26 I973 SHEEI 2 BF 2 INVENTOR. JOHN LANDURES W lOd I ATTONEYS FIG.?

FIG. 4

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Golf practice devices of the general typeconcerned SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with this invention, apractice pad is molded from flexible resilient material to providerecesses opening into the underside of the pad for receiving respectiveknock-down pegs having feet formed as transverse pivot pins. Althoughthe normally upright stem portion of each peg extends upwardly throughthe pad from the foot-receiving recess and such pad is channeled infront of the peg to permit the peg to assurne a knock-down position whenhit by a golf club, upper portions of the pad overlying the recess serveas strong and durable retainers for the pivot pin foot against forwarddriving forces imparted to the peg by club impact.

Each peg is installed in place from the underside of the practice pad,there being detents molded integrally from the flexible resilientmaterial of the pad along the borders of the recess to yield and permitinsertion of the pivot foot of the peg under installation pressure butto retain the peg in operative position once installed.

THE DRAWINGS A specific embodiment of the device presently regarded asthe best mode ofcarrying out the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device with all pegs in normalupright position ready for a practice swing;

FIG. 2, a top plan view of the same;

FIG. 3, a view in side elevation;

FIG. 4, a bottom plan view;

FIG. 5, an end elevational view, looking in the same direction as thegolf'swing;

FIG. 6, an opposite end elevational view;

FIG. 7, a fragmentary, transverse, vertical section taken along the line7-7 of FIG. 2 and drawn to a considerably larger scale;

FIG. 8, a fragmentary, exploded view in perspective of that portion ofFIG. 4 encircled by the broken line 8, drawn to a considerably enlargedscale, and showing how a knock-down peg is inserted in a receiving,journal recess in the underside of the practice pad, such recess beingbordered by one type of peg-retaining detents;

FIG. 9, a similar view of that portion of FIG. 4 encircled by the brokenline 9, but with knock-down peg removed entirely and a different type ofdetent utilized in place of the type shown in FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10, a fragmentary, longitudinal, vertical section taken along theline l0-l0 of FIG. 2 and drawn to the same larger scale as FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT In the specific formillustrated, the device of the invention comprises a practice pad 10molded from a tough flexible-resilient material to provide alongitudinal channel 11, FIG. 6, running between monitoring strips 10aand 10b, which constitute opposite lateral margins of the pad, andextending from an upwardly sloping ramp 10c at one end of the pad to theopposite end of such pad, so as to receive a strip of artificial turf 12as a simulated golf green. The turf 12 is securely attached in place, asby means of an adhesive. For the sake of both strength and the saving ofweight, the underside of pad 10 is ribbed in what may be regarded as anetwork formation, see 13, FIG. 4.

The material from which practice pad 10 is molded may be a rubber orsynthetic elastomer composition, vulcanized to have strength and othercharacteristics suitable for the purpose. However, there are manyplastic materials that can be used along with conventional moldingprocedures.

For monitoring practice golf swings made by a golfer or would-be golferstanding beside the device and confronting it laterally of theswing-monitoring zone made up of the monitoring strips 10a and 10b andof the strip of turf ll, knock-down pegs l4 and 15 are provided atappropriately spaced locations in the monitoring strips 10a and 10b,respectively, and knock-down pegs 16 in the strip of turf 11. When apractice swing is properly executed, its path will be confined to theturf median strip 11 and only correct stroke monitoring pegs 16 will beknocked down. Deviations will be visually recorded by the knocking downof one or more of the pegs 14 and 15 at either side of such medianstrip.

It is a preferred feature of the invention that the deviant strokemonitoring pegs l4 and 15 have transverse bars 14a and 15a,respectively, at their upper ends, reaching toward the turf strip asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, to significantly extend their effective coveragefrom a monitoring standpoint. Another preferred feature is that the pegsalong the monitoring strip closest to the swinger of the golf club, herethe pegs 14, are shorter than the pegs along the other, more remotemonitoring strip, here the pegs 15.

A very important feature of the invention is the manner in which theknock-down pegs are mounted in the practice pad 10, so there is nodanger of their being uprooted under impact by a golf club swungvigorously through practice drives. Each peg 14 has a foot 14!) in theform ofa transverse pivot pin, see particularly FIG. 4, and each peg 15has a similar foot 150. Likewise, each peg 16 has a pivot pin foot 16a.Practice pad 10 is provided with recesses 17 at the underside ofmonitoring strips 10a and 10b for receiving and journaling the feet 14band 15b of pegs l4 and 15, it being realized that left-hand swingersrequire reverse positioning of these pegs from that shown. Similarrecesses 10 are provided at the underside of the pad below turf strip 12for receiving and journaling the feet 16a of respective pegs 16. All ofthese recesses open into the underside of the pad and communicatedirectly with holes, see 19, FIG. 7, that extend upwardly through thepad to the upper surface thereof for receiving the normally upstandingstem members of the pegs. In the form illustrated, the recesses areprovided at and partially in respective bosses d molded integrally withthe pad 10 and-being of about the same depth or somewhat less than theribs 13. For permitting convenient insertion and removal of the pegs andfor securely retaining them in their respective recesses afterinsertion, detents are provided bordering the recesses. These are moldedinto the pad along the open mouths of the respective recesses from thesame, material as the pad and may be of various functional forms, suchas the spaced protuberances 20, FIGS. 7 and 8, or the elongate ribs 21,FIG. 9.

So that the pegs l4 and can be knocked down by practice drives withoutdamage to themselves or to pad 10, such pad has its upper surfacechanneled, as at 21 and 22, FIGS. 1 and 2, to accommodate the stemmembers of such pegs in the knock-down positions of the pegs. Pad 10 issimilarly channeled at 23 and 24, FIG.

2, for accommodating the knock-down positions of pegs 16.

The several pegs may be differently. arranged if desired to achievedifferent monitoring results. Thus, the practice pad may be providedwith extra peg-receiving recesses and accommodating channels at variouslocations, see the side-by-side recesses 17, FIG. 4, and channels 21,FIGS. 1 and 2, and the relative placements of the several recesses andchannels may be varied to achieve any desired arrangements of theseveral pegs relative to one another. It is preferred that theindividual pegs be molded integrally from a high impact strength plasticmaterial.

Whereas this invention is here illustrated and described with respect toa certain preferred form thereof, it is to be understood that manyvariations are possible without departing from the inventive conceptsparticularly pointed out in the claims.

I claim:

1. A device for monitoring golf club swings during practice, comprisinga practice pad molded from a tough, flexible-resilient material toprovide, superfi' cially thereof, a swing monitoring zone; knock-downpegs removably and replaceably journaled in said pad at swing monitoringpositions relative to said zone,

each of said pegs having a normally upright stem member and a solid footof transverse pivot pin formation adapted tobe journaled in said pad;journal recesses formed in said pad at the underside thereof and open atsaid underside for the insertion thereinto of the pivot pin feet ofrespective knock-down pegs; holes extending through said practice padfrom the respective journal recesses to the upperside of the pad forreceiving the stem members of said respective knock-down pegs; channelsin the upperside of said practice pad extending in the direction of pegknock-down from the respective holes for accommodating said stem memberswhen the respective pegs are knocked down; and yieldable detentsbordering the openings of the respective journal recesses at theunderside of said practice pad, for permitting insertion and removal ofthe knockdown pegs from said underside and being in direct ongagementwith the pivot pin feet of the respective pegs when in place fornormally retaining said pegs in operative position within said practicepad.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the practice pad ismolded with an elongate channel extending between opposite, elongate,monitoring strips; and artificial turf is secured within and along saidchannel.

3. A device in accordance with claim 2, wherein correct-strokemonitoring pegs are located along the artificial turf, anddeviant-stroke monitoring pegs are located along the monitoring strips.

4. A device in accordance with claim 3, wherein the deviant-strokemonitoring pegs have transverse reach bars at their upper ends directedtoward the artificial turf.

5. A device in accordance with claim 4, wherein the deviant-strokemonitoring pegs along one of the monitoring strips are significantlyshorter than those along the other of the monitoring strips.

6. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the practice pad ismolded with a network of Strengthening ribs on its underside and bossesof the flexible-resilient material are molded within said network, thejournal recesses being provided within respective bosses.

1. A device for monitoring golf club swings during practice, comprisinga practice pad molded from a tough, flexible-resilient material toprovide, superficially thereof, a swing monitoring zone; knock-down pegsremovably and replaceably journaled in said pad at swing monitoringpositions relative to said zone, each of said pegs having a normallyupright stem member and a solid foot of transverse pivot pin formationadapted to be journaled in said pad; journal recesses formed in said padat the underside thereof and open at said underside for the insertionthereinto of the pivot pin feet of respective knock-down pegs; holesextending through said practice pad from the respective journal recessesto the upperside of the pad for receiving the stem members of saidrespective knock-down pegs; channels in the upperside of said practicepad extending in the direction of peg knock-down from the respectiveholes for accommodating said stem members when the respective pegs areknocked down; and yieldable detents bordering the openings of therespective journal recesses at the underside of said practice pad, forpermitting insertion and removal of the knock-down pegs from saidunderside and being in direct engagement with the pivot pin feet of therespective pegs when in place for normally retaining said pegs inoperative position within said practice pad.
 2. A device in accordancewith claim 1, wherein the practice pad is molded with an elongatechannel extending between opposite, elongate, monitoring strips; andartificial turf is secured within and along said channel.
 3. A device inaccordance with claim 2, wherein correct-stroke monitoring pegs arelocated along the artificial turf, and deviant-stroke monitoring pegsare located along the monitoring strips.
 4. A device in accordance withclaim 3, wherein the deviant-stroke monitoring pegs have transversereach bars at their upper ends directed toward the artificial turf.
 5. Adevice in accordance with claim 4, wherein the deviant-stroke monitoringpegs along one of the monitoring strips are significantly shorter thanthose along the other of the monitoring strips.
 6. A device inaccordance with claim 1, wherein the practice pad is molded with anetwork of strengthening ribs on its underside and bosses of theflexible-resilient material are molded within said network, the journalrecesses being provided within respectivE bosses.